apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

this may be a dumb question – but why not just replace the tub? unless it's of particular value or interest, i would think it would be a lot easier and probably similiarly cost-effective to just get a new one.

here's a nice one with an extra wide ledge that's sold in home depot for 400 bucks. can't imagine that cleaning your old one would be much less – and, from what i understand, it's a pretty messy and toxic job.

http://www.catalog.kohler.com/onlinecatalog/detail.jsp?item=408302&prod_num=715

Ever thought of getting a tub or shower liner instead of reglazing? I've never done it myself, but it's an alternative that I was considering for my own tub. Home Depot has a whole service for it.

It costs a lot more to have a tub replaced, plus, you will most likely need both a permit from DOB and permission from your building, which can cost money for processing and deposits etc. One the other hand, tub refinishing is not a really good thing either. It is merely an epoxy coat that is sprayed onto the tub surface after it has been cleaned and etched with acid. it may not last and if it is done improperly it can bubble and peel (and will, eventually peel anyway because it is just paint), but it is so much cheaper. I know, that is not good news on either count.

If I were you, I'd replace it, but if cost is the biggest issue, than why not try to clean it with CLR (it really works) for now and then replace in a year after you've lived with it. (Or you could have it "reglazed" now and replace it later if it starts to peel. ) I'm sure someone can recommend tub refinisher.

Have you ever replaced a tub? The cost isn't so bad, but the labor will kill ya! I've had two tubs resurfaced and I should have learned my lesson the first time: don't do it! Even when they do a great job it ends up getting scratched and peely.

I would seriously consider a liner line this: http://www.linersdirect.com/

if you want to salvage your current tub start with a bleach/water mix to soak. Then follow with some CLR. Then for the stuff you swear won't come off try the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser scrub pads. They have surprised me on many occasions.

Adam Pratt: WORD! Mr. Clean Magic Erasers are the the best, I second that!

i rehabbed my tub (frankly nowhere near as bad as those pictured) using a few different common household 'natural' methods.

first of all, i cannot stress enough the awesome power of steel wool to scrub out rust and green patina on fixtures, including the area around the drain. i'm not sure i'd use it on tile or porcelain, but it scrubbed away a lot of nastiness. i think i just used it with soap, but i might be misremembering. steel wool also works great if you have those ugly fish-shaped traction stick-ons and want to get them off.

vinegar and/or lemon juice, straight up, makes a great stain remover. you can also make a paste of either of those and some sea salt which works pretty well as a scrub or spot treatment for stains (just apply paste, wait 10 minutes or so, then scrub off).

i'm sure there are also tons of products out there on the market that will do the same, i just discovered serendipitously how well this basic household stuff works.

For cleaning, try the Magic Eraser (I think it is Mr. Clean brand?) and a bit of elbow grease. It worked wonders on my tub.
I can't help with the other stuff.

I'm in the same um, boat. My cast iron original tub is stained and I will need to decide what to do once the dreaded bathroom reno time comes around (as soon as the kitchen sink is in).

So if the folks above are suggesting cleaners for stains what does one do with the exposed iron bits and the rust thereof? Those iron spots need to be sealed in order to stop the continual rusting/staining.

I was thinking it would be really cool to strip the enamel off entirely and expose the metal beneath, perhaps even give it a brushed, swirly steel look with an angle grinder. But that is soooooooo much work and then needs to be immediately sealed with like, 10 coats of polyurethane.

I'm waiting for Guido to pipe in about her reglazing experience and the guy she used. How 'bout it?

i got another odd option for cleaning... try the polident whitening tablets! I was told to use them to clean linen curtains. so i soaked them in the tub overnight. the best part - besides the curtains sparkling - was the tub was clean! the drain sparkled as if it was new. not sure if it stripped anything, but the brass was brass again! try it. it's cheap and easy.

I'm trying to figure out the magic ingredient in polident -- it's for dentures! So it must be food safe; can it be hydrogen peroxide, it's a safe bleaching/whitening agent? If so, can't the tub be soaked in Hydrogen peroxide?

Anyway, I'm going to try all of the above recommendations. Thanks!

2006 Issue of New York Magazine "Best of New York"
Best tub reglazer:
http://nymag.com/bestofny/services/2006/tubreglazer/index.html

I did a tub liner and I have had very good luck with it. It isn't a new tub, my first choice, but given cost, ease of installation and durability, I would not hesitate to recommend it. It has held up wonderfully for 6 years now. When I (natural products people, avert your eyes) Gel Gloss it, it looks as if it were installed yesterday.

Mela: Look at and stand in one first to make sure you like it. It is softer than a "regular" tub, but also much warmer - the layer of adhesive and air between it and the new tub is a great insulator. A bonus if you are a bath person.

olga, I'm stumbling in from summer
with no hope to catch up

I did have a happy reglazing, but I don't know who did it...almost 10 years ago. Click my name for the bathroom contest link to photos and description.

The tub has superficially scratched a little,
where my dog's nails make contact a few too many times...
but it looks fine.

Since people are talking about reglazing, I have another question: can you change the color of a tub when you reglaze it? I have a green tub that I'd love to make white, rather than replace the tub. I have no experience with relglazing, so forgive if this is a ridiculous concept.

Thanks!

I have a crazy uncle in Peoria who rescues things from the dump. He got an old pedestal sink and a claw foot tub that both needed to be refinished and used automotive paint. Has anyone tried that? They looked great and he's been using them for years. I'd imagine you need a lot of ventilation to do it, but it'd be a cheap fix if you could pull it off.

If you do manage to clean the tub, I'd recommend picking a shower cleaner with teflon. Scratched up tubs can be cleaned, but they'll suck up dirt like no other. The teflon cleaner seemed to put off the inevitable on my old tub for a few weeks ... although maybe there's some automotive wax that could do the job better. I should call up my uncle.

Geralyn, I think I've just developed a fatal passion for you. We have to get the tub clean-clean-clean when we move, and it's been fighting back. Polident, it is!

Lorca, a professional reglazer can change the color of the tub. I firmly believe that this is a job left to the pros. The stuff they use just isn't the same as what you can buy in a can.

A cast iron tub can be a nightmare to replace. It's the getting it out that will kill you.

Dude, thanks for that tub reglazing link!

I can tell you what DIDN'T work for me: cream of tartar. Yes, the stuff in the baking section of grocery stores. I'd read about this somewhere (can't remember where) being a cure-all for bathtub stains. Wrong. All it did was turn the stain-around-the-drain to a blue-green "hue." Paula

I had my tub reglazed by AmeriGlaze (www.ameriglaze.com) less than a year ago. I was a bit reluctant but the cost of replacement would be huge and the couple of liner places I called were over $1000. This was about $300 (make sure you get the non-slip coating since you can't stick anything to it. They might throw it in for free.) I've heard lots of horror stories about reglazing, so my #1 prirority was the warrenty. This place has a 10 year warrenty, (and they gave me references to call without a problem) So far, they've been back for one touch up and it looks good.
Oh, and they can change the color.

Kudos to those of you with good stories about reglazing. I'd still prefer to replace the tub entirely -- it seems like the better solution in the long term plus you can then get a tub that suits you.

I have a standard height tub which is not deep enough for a good soak. Until I can afford a new tub, I'm going to try the Polident.

PS: If you're not a tub person, why not have the tub removed and just put tile in for a shower area?

Borax is my miracle product. You buy it in the laundry section. Just sprinkle borax on it and scrub. You'll be amazed at how good it will clean and there won't be a nostril burning sensation like when you use chemical cleaners.

It'll look like new.

Just Borax. It really works.

For renters, tub reglazing is a much better option than replacing the tub. No amount of Borax or other cleaning products would fix my tub, so I had it reglazed a couple of years ago for just under $300 (www.bathroomreglazing.com) and have been very pleased with the results. I love a long, soaky bath so this has been a home improvement I'm grateful for on a daily basis. ~ Jessie

When we moved into our old apartment we had one of those clawfoot tubs that was disgusting with rust and dirt stains. I used oven cleaner on it and it looks new. But this only works on enamel/cast iron tubs

I do reglazing here in Conn.. I give a 5 year warranty. I'm an "Ameriglaze, Inc." refinisher. My number is 860-485-9381

The Bathtub Refinishing Referral Network www.refinishingonline.com sells Diy restoration products and and painting kits for this issue. They also have training manuals for apartment complexes to use for training their staff to professionally refinish bathtubs, countertops, sinks showers and tiles. This will save you thousands of dollars on your budgets. Free tech support included!

Do not use Metro Refinishing. I just reglazed my tub with them a few months ago. It started to peel almost immediately and when I called them, they hung up on me. Awful experience.